Social Media’s Role in Events
Events without social media are like cornflakes without the milk.
Side note: If that phrase went over your head, then you obviously have never heard Oran “Juice” Jones’s classic song ‘The Rain’. Thank me later!
Anyway, let’s get to the topic at hand.
If the media were peanut butter, events would be jelly. That is just how much the two work together.
It’s basically impossible to have one without the other.
There would be practically nothing for the media to talk about and announce if there were no events. The same goes for events; without the media, how would event hosts get the word out about their events.
In fact, with the popularity of social media in today’s society, it seems like if an event isn’t featured on social media platforms by hosts and event-goers, then it is not worth attending. With that said, it is crucial to create a social media campaign around upcoming events to ensure success.
As a radio personality, events are basically our bread and butter. So when there is an event coming up, it’s our job to help get the word out and drive ticket sales.
For example, our radio cluster hosts a Music Festival each year. The festival features live performances by famous artists, local musicians, vendors, games, food, and drinks. There are several ways we can utilize social media before, during, and after the event to help us meet our goals.
Not exactly sure how? Well, don’t worry. I am here to fill in the gaps and make sure that you understand the benefits of using social media for events.
Here’s a quick timeline based on our annual music festival:
Before
When it comes to preparing for the music festival, social media plays a huge role in this process.
Social media can be utilized before the concert to announce valuable information to our target audience.
This imperative information includes:
- The dates of the concert — which gives customers a chance to clear their schedule.
- The venue — which provides customers with a sense of the location and experience.
- The performers — which entices the audience and encourage ticket sales.
- The vendors — which attract the audience as well as other vendors who may want to participate.
- Exclusive offers and discounts — which push leads to convert since they get to save money.
- Event hashtag — which efficiently captures content and becomes familiar with concert-goers so they can use it during the concert.
- COVID-19 Precautions — which shows consumers you are prepared and concerned with keeping them safe. Not to mention, this results in brand loyalty and trust.
In addition, before the festival, we use social media to announce vendor and performance registration to encourage local businesses to participate.
It can also be used to drive traffic to the website by adding the link to the posts, stories, and in the bio.
By using social media before our event, we attract potential customers while strengthening a relationship with existing customers
During
As far as during the festival, social media can be utilized to capture and share live content.
It can also be used to share important information, like weather updates, performance times and changes, vendor locations, etc.
Customer service can also be provided through social media during the event. Social media can also be used during the festival to engage with attendees and generate user-generated content through hashtags and geotags.
Furthermore, social media can be utilized to connect consumers with artists during the festival through live interviews and Q+A’s.
There can also be a live social media contest during the festival that encourages users to post and share their experiences to win exclusive prizes at the festival.
Plus, we can use social media to share a behind-the-scenes view of the festival.
Additionally, there can be a designated area for social media photo opportunities to encourage engagement from attendees.
Essentially, social media stimulate engagement from consumers and builds a relationship.
After
Using social media after an event is over may sound like a waste of time, but trust me, it is not.
By utilizing social media after our festival, we better understand our audience by asking for feedback. With this feedback, we can then use it to listen to out consumers and improve our next event.
Also, through the event hashtag, we can use the UGC to highlight experiences across our platforms.
It allows us to extend the conversation beyond the event to further develop a community for our brand.
The social media platforms can also be used to thank consumers for attending the festival.
With all of this in mind, this event has successfully used social media to its advantage.
We were able to meet our goal of increasing ticket sales by posting consistently before the festival.
By using compelling and valuable content, we were able to attract and convert new and existing customers.
Plus, we were able to build a community by using a memorable, fun hashtag that prompted users to engage in conversations and share experiences.
Social media has also made the event successful by extending the interaction and engagement past the festival’s duration. This is through throwback posts and highlight reels that cause past attendees to reminisce and entice new attendees.
Simply put, social media campaigns should be mandatory for any event if you want it to be successful. If not, well, you can just eat the cornflakes dry — your choice.
Happy event planning!
